Lawmakers Talk Jobs With Space Industry Leaders
Rep. Steny H. Hoyer joins members of Maryland’s congressional delegation in a discussion with space industry and policy leaders last week on Capitol Hill. (hoyer.house.gov photo)
Rep. Steny H. Hoyer joined other members of the Maryland delegation to meet with stakeholders in the space industry — leadership of NASA Goddard, as well as Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, the Space Telescope Science Institute, and Relative Dynamics.
As Congress considers funding for the upcoming fiscal year, the lawmakers came together to hear firsthand about the Maryland space industry, federal space policy, and how space-related projects taking shape in the state can have an impact on the daily lives of Marylanders and others nationwide.
According to NASA, in FY 2021, every NASA job located in Maryland supported an additional 10.8 jobs statewide. Every million dollars-worth of economic output generated by NASA jobs sustained an additional $4.2 million worth of output across the state.
“From discovering distant worlds to helping us better understand our own, the work that NASA and their partners in academia and the private sector conduct here in Maryland is vital to deepening our knowledge of the universe and addressing pressing challenges like the climate crisis,” Congressman Hoyer (D-MD) said. “Congress ought to continue supporting this crucial work. As our meeting today reaffirmed, Team Maryland will do everything we can to ensure Goddard Flight Center and the many Maryland small businesses who support NASA’s Science Mission Directorate receive the resources they need.”
“[October 19], we learned more about how the innovations discovered by Maryland’s space science and engineering industry are having direct impacts on the daily lives of Marylanders and others across the country,” said Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD). “The industry is at a crossroads and during the next two years, and over the longer term, Team Maryland will have to redouble its efforts to ensure that NASA funding is appropriately balanced to ensure that present and future programs and missions vital to Maryland and the nation can continue.”
“Maryland’s leadership in space science is not only a key engine of our state’s economy, it also propels our nation’s innovation. That’s why we’re committed to investing in our space sector – and the talented scientists who power it – so we can keep leading the world in space discovery,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).
“Space exploration is a vital industry here in Maryland. It was a pleasure to participate in this roundtable and to hear about the recent advancements being made and how these technologies can be used to better the day-to-day lives of Marylanders,” Congressman Andy Harris (R-MD) said.
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For more information about Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, visit his Leader member page.
